Red Sky in Morning
by Luxor Nautalis
Summary: AU. Buffy and Faith share a quite moment before the Final Battle against the first. Season 7, episode 22 Tags.


**Disclaimer;** I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, their characters, their plot, theme or names, and I do not claim ownership to them. However, I DO claim ownership to my writing, so please don't steal!

**Authors Note: **This is a slightly AU fic. Buffy and Faith have been together for five years, and Faith never turned to the Dark Side and joined the Mayor in Season 3. It's a short one-shot, so I won't be continuing, but the idea struck me and I just had to write it down ;D

**Rating;** T

**Pair;** Buffy x Faith

It was time.

The sun had risin in the morning sky, turning the soft clouds drifting lazily in the sky a bright red. Blood red. Buffy sighed as she looked out the window, the old saying 'Red sky in morning, Saylors take warning' flitting idly through her head.

It was a disconcerting omen, to say the least. One that didn't bode well for the whole 'Hey, lets open the hellmouth and fight the final battle today!' idea.

She wondered if they were truly ready for this. She wondered if _she _was really ready for this. Sure, she was sick and tired of sitting around and waiting, she was sick of rolling with the First's punches and taking whatever it threw at them. She wanted it to end, but at the same time, she was scared.

It was the final battle. She was leading an army of girls into hell - quite literally. Some of them would die...maybe even she would die and she knew without a doubt that the ones that did perish would forever haunt her. They would be dead because of her, because of her decision.

A pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist tore her from her thoughts, and she smiled softly as her body automatically relaxed against the body behind her own.

"Stop doubting yourself," A soft voice whispered in her ear, an equally soft pair of lips brushing against the shell of her ear.

"I can't," the blond replied just as gently, even as she brought her own arms up to rest ontop of the ones around her mid-section.

"You've got nothin' to worry about, B. Everything will be fine."

Buffy turned in her lover's arms, her eyes meeting the deep brown ones of the Dark Slayer. "You can't know that, Faith."

The brunette smiled softly, one hand lifting to cup the older woman's cheek. "Sure I do."

"How?" Buffy inquired softly.

Faith simply smiled. "Because, B, It's you and me. Nothin' we've ever went up against stood a chance, and this time won't be any different."

"But this is worse than anything we've ever faced before. We're not ready for this, Faith. _I'm _not ready for this," The blond whispered, nestling her cheek against her lover's collar bone. Faith lifted her head in the slightest, her chin resting atop a crown of golden locks, her arms tightening around Buffy's waist as she pulled the Slayer closer.

"We are ready, and so are you. I know you can do this, Buffy, you just have to have a little faith in yourself." She felt the older smile against her skin, and she chuckled softly. "Not that kind, perv. Your strong, B. You're the strongest person I've ever met, and I _know _you can do this. All my life, only one person has ever tried when it came to me, ever given me a chance. You never gave up on me, not after Mrs. Post, not after Alan Finch, not after I tried to push you away and almost went all Vader on you..." Buffy pulled back, a smirk on her lips and one eyebrow raised. Faith chuckled again, shaking her head. "Sorry, been hanging around Andrew too much," she apologised, earning a snort of laughter from her lover.

"I know you can do this...you're a fighter, B, through and through." Faith idly pressed a kiss to the top of the Light Slayer's head, silently lending her encouragment and thanking her all at the same time. "So we're gonna go open the hellmouth and you're gonna beat back the big bad because it's what you do. And B," Faith said softly, pulling back slightly and tilting her lover's head up so she could look into her eyes, "We're gonna win because I believe in you. We're gonna win because you're more stubborn than a mule and you don't have it in you to lose. We're gonna win because we're in this together, and nothing ever has and never will take on the Chosen Two and live to tell the tale."

By the time her lover had finished speaking, Buffy's eyes were glazed over with unshed tears, and a small smile graced her lips. Faith had, with a few carefully chosen words, given her hope again; hope that everything would be okay, hope that they would, indeed, win and hope that they would all live to see another day, a happier day.

Overcome with love for the woman in her arms, Buffy leaned up and brushed her lips against the brunette's. They kissed slowly, gently for many moments, their lips moving together in a dance both had long ago memorized. Both women lost themselves in the moment, letting all their fears and insecurities be washed away just from the simple caress.

Faith was right...They were together, and nothing could change that. They were the Chosen Two, the things demons and vampires had nightmares about and, when the time came to descend into the hellmouth, they would prove why.

"I love you," Buffy whispered as soon as they fell apart, her forehead pressed lightly against Faith's.

"I love you too."

"We're gonna win."

Faith smiled and leaned in for a quick, soft kiss. "Hell yeah we are, B. And then, it's off to Hawaii with us."

"That sounds like a fabalous idea," Buffy sighed dreamily, almost picturing white sandy beaches and Faith in a skimpy bikini.

"Your picturing me in a bikini, aren't you," The Dark Slayer smugly commented.

Buffy laughed breathlessly. "You know me way too well."

"After five years, I would sure as hell hope so, baby."

The blond lifted a hand, cupping her lover's cheek and running her thumb slong the gentle slope as she studied her girlfriend's eyes, drowing in the love and tenderness she found there. "Stay safe down there...no stupid Hero stunts."

Faith beamed, the dimples Buffy loved so much out in full force. "You know me, B. Safe as a kitten."

"I'm serious," Buffy whispered, unaffected by her lover's attempt to lighten the moon with sarcasm and humor, as always. "If anything happened to you..."

She was unable to finish that sentence as a pair of insistant lips covered her own. This time around, their kiss was different, more heated and almost desperate. They pulled apart when oxygen became an issue, both sucking in deep lungfulls of air as their hearts pounded in tandem. "Don't even finish that thought, B. We're both gonna be fine, and you're not gonna even think about sayin' any kind of goodbye. If ya try it, I'll kick your ass, and you know I can."

"You so can't kick my ass," Buffy countered with a small smile.

"I so can, and once we're done with this shit, I'll prove it to ya." Faith purred smugly.

"You can try," The blond challened. Each woman knew it was an empty threat. Whenever they sparred, they were so evenly matched, so atuned to one another that neither could ever get the upper hand.

"You're so on." Both with bright smiles, they relaxed in one another's arms, enjoying the last few silent moments they had before the time came and all hell broke loose.

Not five minutes later, a soft knock sounded on their bedroom door. "It's time, guys. Everyone's ready and waiting for you," Willow called through the barrier, sounding nervous.

"We'll be out in a minute, Red," Faith called back, tightening her hold on Buffy's waist even as the blond sighed against her chest.

"Well here goes nothing," Buffy mumbled, even as she pulled out of Faith's arms.

"Watch your back," the brunette cautioned, her eyes reflecting the worry she hadn't shown before, but before Buffy had needed to be conforted, needed her to be strong. Now, the roles were reversed and she allowed herself to show her own insecurities.

Buffy adjusted to the role reversal with practised ease. "I don't need to. I have you to do it for me, just like you have me to watch yours."

It was all the reassurance that Faith needed. With those few words and the look in her green eyes, Buffy had told her everything needed to hear without actually speaking the words; She would be cautious, she would stay safe, and Buffy expected her to do the same.

And so, with one more soft kiss, they pulled apart and headed toward the bedroom door, their fingers intertweined and both knowing everything would be okay, because they had each other.

**Parting Words; **There it is! I hope you liked it, and don't forget to leave me a review ;D


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